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Dear Fellow Rotarians, Rotaractors, and friends,
In Rotary, 23 February is our anniversary, and February
is also the month when we focus on promoting peace. There is a reason
for this: Contributing to peace and international understanding
has been a high priority for us since our earliest days.
We are often asked: “How can we get involved
in peace now?” There are many paths to peace in Rotary. Our
youth programs point us in the direction of Positive Peace, as does
the work of intercountry committees and the Rotary Action Group
for Peace.
Another path is the Rotarian Peace Projects Incubator
(RPPI), an inspirational collaboration among Rotarians, Rotaractors,
and Rotary Peace Fellows and alumni. Led by Rotarians in Switzerland
and Liechtenstein, RPPI has designed 48 global projects that any
club can support, either directly or through Rotary Foundation global
grants. Nino Lotishvili and Matthew Johnsen, alumni of the Rotary
Peace Center at Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok, Thailand, are
two of the many volunteers.
During my Rotary peace journey, I have learned how
personal resilience helps build inner peace and create sustainable
outer peace. This was the inspiration behind the Women Peace Ambassadors
for the South Caucasus project, which is based on my field research
in Georgia. The RPPI team of Rotarians and peace fellows recognized
the incredible potential of women from mixed-ethnicity families
who live on borderlands to be role models for peace within and beyond
their communities. Through workshops on building inner and outer
peace that draw on the power of storytelling, 40 participants will
be sharing their stories and reaching around 400 extended family
and community members. These inspiring but marginalized women will
reclaim their inner strength as peacebuilders at the grassroots
level. In this way, we will take steps toward the sustainable, peaceful
society we need so much, not only in our region, but throughout
the world. — Nino Lotishvili
I was excited to join the peace incubator project
and to further strengthen my ties with Rotary’s peace community
by working with past and current peace fellows to develop these
proposals. My team wrote five proposals — three in Bangladesh,
one in Iraq, and one in Poland — that focus on the arts and
on education to generate dialogue across religious divisions and
avert the radicalization of young people. I was inspired by how,
despite the pandemic, we came together via technology with a vision
to develop, test, and strengthen ideas and to produce workable solutions
that clubs across the world can support to advance peace. I am excited
to work with Rotary’s peace community to transform these visions
into reality. — Matthew Johnsen
Here is further proof that in Rotary, we prefer action
to words. This is Rotary at its best. I encourage you to visit https://www.rppi.ch/
to explore the projects and support them.
We have lasted 116 years because of our strong ethics,
our passion for Service Above Self, and our unique approach to problem-solving.
One of our greatest strengths is how we reach across our communities
and across national, ethnic, religious, and political divisions
to unite people of all backgrounds and to help others. This month,
let’s celebrate our history and the many ways that Rotary
Opens Opportunities to advance world understanding,
goodwill, and peace, our ultimate mission.
HOLGER KNAACK
President 2020-21
Trustee Chair's Message - Feb.
2021
K.R. Ravindran
Rotary Club of Colombo
Western Province, Sri Lanka
Trustee chair's message
Trustee chair's message - February 2021 Giving is
more than an activity. It is a way of life and a beacon
in the search for hope in troubled times. There is
great turmoil today, but these are not unusual times,
not in the span of human history. The wisdom of the
ages is especially important to help us set our path
and purpose.
Such wisdom comes from the 12th-century
philosopher known as Maimonides. Born in Córdoba,
Spain, he and his family went into exile in Morocco
to escape religious persecution. As a young man, he
mastered Aristotle, astronomy, and later medicine.
After moving to Cairo, Maimonides became known as
the city’s greatest rabbi, producing tomes of
commentary on the Torah, and he lived out his final
days as a renowned doctor.
But his greatest gift to humanity captured his thoughts
about giving itself. His Eight Levels of Charity is
a masterpiece that teaches us about what giving means
and what motivates us to do it.
The bottom rung of Maimonides’
ladder is giving out of pity or grudgingly. The next
step up is giving less than one should, but doing
so cheerfully. Climb up to the fifth rung and you
are giving before being asked. Further up the ladder
is giving in a way that the receiver does not know
who the giver is. The eighth and highest level of
charity is to anticipate distress and giving to avoid
or prevent it.
When we immunize children against polio,
we are anticipating potential illness. We do so with
other efforts, such as Rotary projects that reduce
the incidence of malaria or cervical cancer.
When we teach someone a profession that
enables them to earn a living, we apply the eighth
step. From microfinance to education, The Rotary Foundation
helps us give the gift of self-reliance.
All of this good work awaits us, as
does the work of supporting newborns, cleaning water
sources, recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic, and
countless other efforts we lead.
I am proud to say that many Rotary members
climb to the top of Maimonides’ ladder. Many
of them do so anonymously. Whoever they are and for
whatever reason they share their gifts with the Foundation,
I thank them.
As an organization, Rotary climbs that
ladder as well. Every one of your donations helps
us reach higher levels. As we climb this ladder as
one, we gain a wider perspective. We see all those
who need to be uplifted as well as the countless opportunities
we have to help them in Rotary. And as we do so, we
find our own meaning and purpose.
http://www.endpolio.org/donate.
K.R. Ravindran
Trustee Chair 2020-21
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